


Kaerasta

by Spinofflady



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Buffalord Soldier, F/M, The Scourge of Odin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-07-28 17:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7650565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spinofflady/pseuds/Spinofflady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A written account of those moments you wish were shown in Buffalord Soldier...</p><p> “What’s wrong?” he asked, brushing the tears off her cheeks even though she couldn’t feel him.</p><p>“I’m so scared,” she sobbed, coughing fiercely every so often.  “I don’t want to die.”</p><p>Her words, though not surprising, caught him off guard.  “You won’t die,” he whispered, gathering her into his arms.  “I promise you, Astrid.  I will not let you die.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Hiccup was jerked out of his dream by the sudden crashing outside. He sat up abruptly, glancing around for the source of the sound. “What what what!?” he shouted, half expecting to see Snotlout or the twins booby trapping his hut.

  
Astrid’s Nadder suddenly came barreling into his hut, prancing around impatiently.

  
“Stormfly?” Hiccup asked, wondering why the Nadder was so upset.

  
Stormfly quickly turned around and ran back out the door, squawking incessantly. Hiccup immediately realized something was wrong, and jumped on Toothless, urging him after Stormfly. The two chased her around the Edge as she raced toward her rider’s hut. They landed on the deck, Hiccup jumping off his dragon and rushing into the building.

  
His eyes widened in horror at the sight of Astrid hunched weakly on the side of her bed, her head propped up by her palm. “Astrid,” he whispered, now understanding why Stormfly had come to get him.

  
Astrid looked up slowly, her eyes tired. “Hiccup? What are you doing here?” she asked.

  
“Uh, Stormfly seemed a little worried, so I, uh…” he approached her quickly after giving her dragon a quick pat.  
Astrid lapsed into a coughing fit, and Hiccup noticed a strange scratch mark on her arm. She quickly covered it up, as if she didn’t want him to see it.

  
The pieces immediately fit together in Hiccup’s mind. Astrid must not have gotten off that fishing ship fast enough. She said there was one survivor. And one survivor was all it took.

  
“Astrid,” he began, kneeling down beside her and rubbing her back to ease her coughing, “Exactly what happened on that ship?”

  
Astrid glanced over at him, dark circles under her eyes. “Stormfly and I, we landed on the deck to get a closer look. We heard a noise from below. So we went to look. On my way out, one of them grabbed me. His nails got my arm. I ran away but I-” She was cut off by another coughing fit.

  
Hiccup sat helplessly, watching her gasp. He gently pulled her into a hug, using his body as a shock absorber. She finally caught her breath and leaned into him, taking in a slow breath to steady herself.

  
“I washed it as soon as I got home,” she went on softly. “I tried to make sure I got it clean because I didn’t want-”  
Coughing gripped her again, and she tried to pull away from him. He refused to let her go, placing a hand on her back and started to rub her again. It only took a few minutes for him to realize how hot her body was. He felt her forehead, sighing heavily.

  
“You’re feverish,” he muttered.

  
“I’m fine,” she insisted, forcefully pulling out of his arms and walking across the room. “It’s just a cold. I’ll be bright eyed and bushy-tailed by morning.” She offered a half-hearted smile, one that told him he was supposed to leave. Hiccup didn’t move. “Go back to bed,” she urged. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.” She barely got the words out before coughing overtook her again. She leaned against the wall for support. “Go,” she gasped.

  
“Alright, I’ll go,” he agreed finally, shaking his head. “But at least let me help you back to bed first.”

  
Astrid was coughing too hard to object, and Hiccup quickly crossed the room and scooped her up easily. He set her gently down on her bed, grabbed a blanket off the back of her chair, and wrapped it around her. Lying down seemed to help her cough, and she was finally able to catch a breath.

  
“Send Stormfly if you need me,” he told her, gently squeezing her shoulder. She gave a weak smile, and nodded, her eyes telling him to just leave already. He returned the smile, and began to walk out. Astrid began to cough again as he left, but he shut the door and climbed on Toothless anyway. His dragon gazed back at the hut and warbled, glancing back at Hiccup.

  
“I know bud,” he sighed. “She doesn’t want me there. I have to respect that even if she really does need-” He stopped short; Astrid’s horrible, harsh, racking cough was louder now. She sounded like she was trying to cough up a lung.

  
Toothless warbled again, his ears lifting to hear her more clearly. Her cough was so labored it sounded painful. Hiccup clenched his jaw and hopped off his dragon. He opened the door just enough to see her.

  
The coughing had Astrid nearly double, and she was very obviously in pain. One hand was over her mouth, the other around her stomach. She drew in a few slow, raspy, halted breaths as she slowly removed her hand from her mouth. She stared at it for a moment, horror written across her face.

  
The cough returned, this time harsher, but her eyes never left her hand. She let out a small, anguished cry of pain between gasps, falling back on her bed, exhausted.

  
Hiccup swallowed and pursed his lips. Why didn’t she send Stormfly to get him? Astrid needed help. Her coughing ebbed the tiniest amount. Her dragon nuzzled her anxiously.

  
“Hiccup…” she whispered, so quietly even Stormfly might have had trouble hearing her. Hiccup stepped back into her hut, before the dragon even had a chance to get him.

  
In the midst of a painful fit, she noticed him standing just inside the door. Relief flooded her eyes. He sat down on the floor beside her bed, waiting for the coughing to subside. The harsh spasm finally slowed, and she closed her eyes, thankful for the brief moments of stillness. “You came back,” she whispered hoarsely, a weak but glad smile flashing across her face.  
“Yeah,” he replied. “Toothless wouldn’t let me leave.”

  
She gave another weak smile and covered her hand, which was now balled into a fist, with the blanket. Hiccup immediately noticed what she had done, and knew that she was keeping something important from him. A plan formed in his mind.  
He felt her forehead again. “Stick your tongue out.” She raised an eyebrow, but obeyed. He pretended to examine it, then reached for her hand under the blanket.

  
“What are you doing?” she demanded quietly, pulling her hand further under the covers.

  
“Taking your pulse,” he replied smoothly, reaching for it again. She reluctantly let him take it, but kept her fist clenched tightly. “Relax your hand,” he chided with a chuckle. She nervously relaxed her hand, but still kept it in a closed fist.  
Hiccup chuckled again, sliding his fingers across the bottom of her wrist to open her fingers. He was able to feel something warm and sticky before she jerked her hand away. He glanced at his fingers, realizing they were stained red. His throat tightened.

  
“Astrid, where did this come from?” he asked her, showing her the blood on his fingers.

  
“I…I don’t know,” she whispered back, her eyes darting around to avoid his.

  
“Yes, you do.” He tilted her chin up to look at him. He knew eye contact always made Astrid break. She hated lying to him.  
“I…coughed it up,” she finally told him, glancing away again. “I’m fine, though. It’s probably just-”

  
“Astrid, you are not fine!” Hiccup nearly shouted. “Coughing up blood is not ‘fine!’ You need to see a healer.”

  
Astrid sighed, then gave a solitary cough. “Hiccup, remember when Snotlout accidently hit me with that board yesterday? I got a nose bleed. Some of it must have gotten into my stomach. I’m fine.” The last few words were said with such determination that it sent her into another fit.

  
Her eyes slowly closed as the paroxysm ended. Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder, and her eyes flickered back open. “Astrid, please. You and I both know something is wrong. Let me help you.”

  
Astrid gave in, opening her hand so he could see. He was somewhat relieved to find it was very little blood, but on the other hand, it was still blood. If this was the Scourge of Odin, he needed to get it cleaned up before anyone else could get infected. Particularly him, since he had her blood on his fingers.

  
He filled a bucket with water and told Toothless to warm it while he got a cloth. Soon he had thoroughly cleaned his own hand and was gently working Astrid’s, trying not to let the ever lightening paleness of her skin worry him. A shiver started to work throughout her, and it wasn’t long before she was complaining of chills.

  
Stormfly squawked softly, nudging her rider with concern. “I’m fine, girl. I promise.” Astrid smiled and gave her dragon a quick pat. Hiccup smiled as well, but a cold, ruthless hand of fear seized his stomach as he saw how weak and shaky her hand was. An ugly green color had already started to take over the tips of her fingers.

  
He glanced out the door, glad to see that the sky was grey and getting lighter. The minute the sun was up, he was getting Fishlegs. An idea suddenly hit him.

  
“I’ll be right back,” he promised Astrid and raced to Snotlout’s hut.

  
Snotlout was snoring away, and Hookfang with him. Hiccup pulled his covers back and frantically shook him awake. “Snotlout! Wake up!”

  
“Go ‘way…” Snotlout half snored.

  
“No, get up. I need your help. Wake up!”

  
Snotlout finally sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Okay! Okay! I’m up. What do you want?”

  
“I need you to go back to Berk and-”

  
“Berk?!”

  
“Yes, Berk. I need you to get Gothi’s notes on the Scourge of Odin.”

  
“Why?”

  
“Just…because. We might need them at some point.”

  
“Why?”

  
Hiccup groaned. It was easy to see that Snotlout wasn’t going anywhere until he knew the truth. “Okay, I’ll tell you. But you have to keep quiet about this.”

  
“Okay, okay. Just tell me.”

  
“Astrid’s sick-”

  
“What?! Is it the Scourge?”

  
“I- I don’t know. I can’t tell yet, but I don’t think it is. I just want you to get the notes in case it is- which it most likely isn’t.”

  
Snotlout jumped on his dragon and flew toward Berk, shouting something along the lines of “I’ll be back soon.”

  
Hiccup spotted Fishlegs and Meatlug coming out of their hut sleepily. He called to his friend, running over.

  
“Fishlegs, I need you to look at Astrid,” he said breathlessly.

  
“Why?” Fishlegs asked, stifling a yawn.

  
“She’s got some kind of flu I think. I just want you to make sure she’s okay.”

  
“Flu?”

  
“Yeah. Coughing, fever; a flu.” He decided not to mention the blood she’d coughed up. Fishlegs hated blood, especially when it was coming from some place other than an external wound.

  
Fishlegs gave him a strange look, followed him to Astrid’s hut anyway.

  
Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief. This was going to work out fine. Astrid would be normal in a day or two, and they could forget this ever happened.

  
Or at least he hoped so.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Hiccup, will you stop pacing,” Astrid groaned from her place on her bed, clearly annoyed at him.

  
Fishlegs walked over and examined the scratches on her arm, letting out a tiny gasp. He left without a word, pulling Hiccup aside.

  
“”What is it?” Hiccup asked him, his voice hushed and concerned.

  
“You saw those scratch marks, right?”

  
“She said it’s nothing,” Hiccup replied quickly, glancing at Astrid when she coughed weakly again.

  
“You know Astrid, it’s not nothing. All of the signs are there.”

  
Hiccup knew, no matter how much he hoped it wasn’t, that it was true."Alright, let’s assume for a second that you’re right,” he began, “What’s the cure?”

  
Fishlegs sighed. “I’m not sure. The only thing I know is that the Scourge moves swiftly, overtaking it’s victims in less than three moons.”

  
“One moon has already passed.”

  
“I know! Snotlout is on his back from Berk with Gothi’s notes. Hopefully they’ll tell us something more.”

  
No sooner had Fishlegs spoken than did the roar of a Monstrous Nightmare fill the air. Snotlout landed on the deck, and Hiccup grabbed the papers and ran back in the hut, scouring them for information.

  
“Hey, Astrid, how you feeling?” Snotlout asked, genuinely concerned for her.

  
“I feel fine!” Astrid said, exasperated. It was a known fact that she hated to be coddled. “I just wish everyone would stop-” Coughing cut her off. “Worrying.”

  
Hiccup looked up excitedly. “Fishlegs! Look! In Gothi’s notes there’s a cure for the Scourge of Odin! A green solution made from the saliva of a Buffalord dragon.”

  
Fishlegs’ face fell.

  
“What?” Hiccup asked him, wondering why Fishlegs wasn’t as excited as he was. “What is it?”

  
Fishlegs glanced around nervously, a grim expression settling on his face. “Well, it’s just…it’s just…” He apparently couldn’t find the right words.

  
Astrid dragged herself into a sitting position on the side of her bed. Everyone noticed just how much effort it took. “There aren’t any Buffalord,” she finished for Fishlegs. “They were all hunted to extinction during the Scourge’s last outbreak.”

  
“We don’t know if they’re gone for sure.” Hiccup put in quickly. Astrid was likely to be right, but there was always hope. “We need to get out there and find one.”

  
Fishlegs did not share his optimism. “We don’t even know where to start looking,” he said sadly. “There’s no mention of the Buffalord anywhere! It’s like they were wiped from history.”

  
 _With our luck they probably were,_ Hiccup thought glumly, knowing better than to say it aloud. No need to dishearten the others any more than they already were.

  
Astrid pulled herself to her feet, as if to prove how “fine” she was. “Come on, I told you guys. I’m-” she stopped short, her eyes slowly closing. Her knees gave out, and she started to fall backwards.

  
“Astrid!” Hiccup shouted, dashing in front of the others to catch her before she hit the hard bed.

  
Her eyes met his as she collapsed into his arms. “I’m fine,” she finished, mostly to him. A painful cough gripped her again, thankfully not lasting as long. It seemed to steal just as much of her strength, judging by how limp her feverish body was.

  
It was then that Hiccup really understood how dire the situation was. Astrid was sick. Very sick. She had the Scourge of Odin, and at the present, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. And unless he did something about it, she would die.

  
The thought of losing Astrid nearly brought tears. She was his best friend. It was Astrid who was always there for him, there to comfort him, to tell him to get his head out of the clouds, to talk out his problems. He couldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t.

  
“Fishlegs,” he barked out suddenly, “Go look through all of our dragon papers for information on the Buffalord. Snotlout, go get the twins up and help Fishlegs when you’re done.” Hiccup knew he sounded bossy, but when it came to Astrid, he would be more than bossy. Fishlegs and Snotlout wasted no time in obeying; they understood the desperate situation as well.

  
Astrid started to cough again, drawing in a sharp, ragged breath between each heave. Hiccup leaned her back on her bed as carefully as if she were a newborn baby. He grabbed a few extra furs from the chest in the corner and wrapped the softest one around her shoulders. The second softest was placed under her head as an extra pillow, and he finally spread the others over her legs.

  
He paused, then decided to remove her boots, which couldn’t possibly be very comfortable at the present. He sat at the base of her bed, gently sliding her boots off. It didn’t take him long to discover that her feet were as cold as blocks of ice. Hiccup draped the furs over them, keeping his hands around her feet to warm her frozen toes.

  
“Thanks,” Astrid whispered, as quietly as possible to avoid more coughing.

  
“You’re most welcome, M’lady,” he quipped, trying to be lighthearted for her sake. She smiled tiredly at his nickname for her. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” He tried to keep his voice softer that usual to soothe her.

  
“I’m…a little thirsty,” she replied, snuggling further into her furs.   
Hiccup stood, making sure that her feet were well covered, and poured some water from the pitcher into a cup. He held it over the fire for a minute to rid it of the chill, knowing cold water could bring on another coughing fit.

  
He walked back to the bed, setting the cup down on the small table beside it. He sat down beside his sick friend, gently lifted her head, and held the cup to her chapped lips. He noticed that they lacked their natural pinkness, now taking on a sickly pallor. She took a sip, one much too big, and began to cough again, barely able to swallow the water.

  
Hiccup offered another drink once the spell ended. “Little sips,” he encouraged. “That will make things easier.”

  
Astrid tried again, being careful this time to drink only a little water at a time. She was able to consume a fair amount, though it was only a little less than half the cup. She was clearly too weak to continue drinking, so he set the cup aside. He remained beside her, not quite ready to leave her be.

  
She coughed again, and the shiver that took control of her doubled the knot of fear in his stomach. Hiccup brushed the hair on her forehead back, feeling how warm her skin was.   
She was no longer flushed, though he wished she was. A greenish tint was creeping into her chalky white cheeks. He started to hum, not for any particular reason; he simply hoped she might find it soothing. His hand began to stroke her cheek, and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. He could only conclude that she liked it, and continued.

  
“Why are you stopping?” she asked him suddenly.

  
“I’m not,” he answered, confused.

  
He eyes opened and peered at his hand, still resting on her cheek. Terror filled her blue eyes, clouding them like dark storm clouds. “I- I can’t feel you,” she whispered hoarsely. “Oh, gods. Hiccup, I can’t feel you.”

  
Frightened tears sprang into her eyes, and Hiccup swallowed to control his own fear. Both knew that loss of feeling was a latter symptom of the Scourge of Odin. What Hiccup did not know, was that the idea of not feeling his touch was just as horrible to Astrid.

  
“I can’t feel you,” she rasped again, tears spilling out and down her cheeks, not that she could feel them, either. She saw Hiccup wipe her tears away, but not being able to feel his gentle touch only caused more tears.

  
“It’ll be okay,” he whispered, rubbing her arm-- quite forcefully it looked liked. “You’ll be okay. I promise. You can beat this. Astrid Iona Hofferson can beat anything.”

  
Hofferson. The word sparked a memory, one not called to mind in a very long time. Finn. She closed her eyes, trying to picture his face. It was only a fuzzy image now. And no matter how hard she tried, his laugh, which had once been so vividly remembered, was gone.

  
“Hiccup?” she started quietly, her voice so weak she surprised even herself. “I know we were little but…do you remember Finn?”

  
“Which one?” Just his voice was comforting to hear. At least she knew he was still there.

  
“Little Finn,” she replied. “Well, younger Finn.” She wanted to continue, but coughing prevented her from saying more.

  
“Yeah, I remember him.” Hiccup said, recalling the older boy.

  
“Do you remember how he died?”

  
“Not really. Something about a hunting injury. Why?”

  
Astrid sighed sadly. “He didn’t die of a hunting injury,” she whispered, her eyes tearing up again. “He was injured, but he could have survived that.”

  
“Then what happened?”

  
The girl forced her eyes to open. “He was sick.” Her voice cracked as she suppressed a cough. “He came home with a fever. We thought it was because the wound had festered, but it wasn’t.”

  
“Are you saying a fever killed him?” He sounded surprised.

  
“No. The Scourge of Odin killed him.”

  
Hiccup’s eyes widened. “Finn had the Scourge?”

  
Astrid nodded. “My parents never told anyone because they were afraid people would send us away. They just let everyone believe it was an infection. They wanted me to believe it too, but as I got older, I realized it was the Scourge.”

  
She drew in a shaky breath, more tears dribbling down her cheeks. “I’ve seen how the Scourge works, Hiccup. It’s not an easy end.”

  
“Doesn’t matter,” Hiccup told her, not able to hide all the shakiness in his voice. “You don’t need to worry about that. We’re going to find a cure.” Astrid continued to cry despite his efforts. “What’s wrong?” he asked, brushing the tears off her cheeks even though she couldn’t feel him.

  
“I’m so scared,” she sobbed, coughing fiercely every so often. “I don’t want to die.”

  
Her words, though not surprising, caught him off guard. “You won’t die,” he whispered, gathering her into his arms. “I promise you, Astrid. I will not let you die.” He rocked her back and forth, hoping she could still feel that.

  
“Finn died,” she sniffled, burying her face in his chest.

  
It was true. Finn had died. Astrid had a good reason to be terrified. Hiccup could hardly remember him, but he did know that Finn had been the strongest Viking teen in the Village. If the Scourge could kill him, it could kill Astrid.

  
“I miss him,” she went on, her voice growing steadily shakier. “He was the best big brother in the whole world.” She hardly finished her sentence before breaking down into tears again.  
He realized then that it was still very real to her that her brother was gone. The more he thought of it, the more he remembered Astrid and Finn together. Those memories of Astrid learning to use her axe. Finn was there. When she was learning to fight, Finn was teaching her. She was still grieving the loss of her older brother, even thought he had been gone more ten years.

  
Despite how sorry he felt for her, Hiccup knew time was running out. He could feel Astrid letting more and more of her weight rest on him. Her crying had grown softer, but only because she was so weak. Her tears were sucking her strength away; she had to stop crying. What could he do? She couldn’t feel him, and she was probably too upset to pay attention to anything he said. He had to at least try, though.

  
“Please, Astrid. Don’t cry. Everything’s going to be okay.” He was right. She didn’t care. Of course, out of all the times one should be allowed to cry, this had to be number one, but she was practically killing herself. . . An idea hit him. It was crazy and stupid, but Astrid was too weak to punch him for it.

  
“Please, _Kaerasta_ ,” he whispered in her ear, “Please don’t cry.”

  
Astrid’s crying ceased. _Kaerasta_? Did he really mean that? She held her breath as he leaned toward her again.

  
“I don’t want you to cry, my _Kaerasta_. It will be okay, I promise.”

  
Her heart fluttered as he said it again, the highest term of endearment. She was his darling, his sweetheart. His _Kaerasta_. His voice continued, but she never heard another word. She was only listening to the sound of his heartbeat. The word seemed to be repeated with every thump in his chest— _Kaerasta, Kaerasta, Kaerasta._

  
Her eyelids grew heavy, and she had soon drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Astrid slowly began to wake, her eyelids refusing to open. With a deep breath she made them part, only to find that she could hardly see a thing. Her eyes slowly picked up on the light from her small window, and from that of the dying fire in the corner.

The second thing that crossed her mind was the quiet. She could only hear birds and a wind rustling through the trees. Where were the twins and Snotlout, always arguing? And Hiccup, constantly ordering them to stop? And Fishlegs, begging for peace and quiet so he could study?  
A coughing spell interrupted her thoughts, and she caught sight of a paper leaned up against the cup on the nightstand. It was propped up so she could read the writing on it. She rolled over and began to read.

_My **Kaerasta** ,_

_We have left the Edge to find a cure for the Scourge of Odin. I wish one of us could have stayed with you, but we need all the help we can get. I don’t know how long it will take us, but I promise you that we won’t come back without the antidote. There is a bowl of soup next to the fire. I made sure that Stormfly can get it for you._

_I tried to let you know where we are going in person, but I couldn’t bare to wake you up. Hopefully we will have reached the Buffalord’s island by the time you read this letter. I’ve sent word to your parents that you’re sick. I told them you would be fine, because you will be, and I don’t want them to think you’ll share Finn’s fate. Just don’t give up, and you will win this fight._

_Oh, and one more thing, there are extra furs at the end of your bed._

_-Hiccup_

She smiled. Hiccup always looked out for her. She glanced downwards, and sure enough, there was a pile of furs next to her feet. A chill ran down her arms, so she pushed herself up to get one.

A tidal wave of feverish aches and chills, nausea, and pure misery washed over her. She fell back on her bed, coughing violently. The harsh, barking coughs ripped her lungs and sliced her throat to ribbons. She suddenly felt as if a furnace was burning inside of her, bellowing heat throughout her body. She clawed her way out from underneath the fur around her shoulders, but lacked the strength even to lift it.

His chest clenched painfully, bringing on more coughing. She forced herself to slow her breathing, which only hurt worse. She finally managed to ease the pain by shifting positions. She was so tired…no. She must fight sleep. She had to battle for every breath, and she could never do that in her sleep.

Astrid tried to ignore the rattling sound that came from her chest every time she inhaled. She tried not to think of how pale and green her skin had become, or the agonizing throb in her head, or the chills that raced around her body, only to be replaced with streaks of fire.

Her left side was beginning to tingle, reminding her to change positions. She tried, but even the attempt was too hard to finish. She realized that she had forgotten to breathe, and sucked in a slow, painful gulp of air.

Oh, to give in to the gentle, comforting, sweet tendrils of sleep! To have relief from the misery! To allow her eyes to close, her mind to fade…

No. She had to fight it. Sleep was nothing more than a false promise, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, waiting to kill her the first chance it had. But she was so tired…couldn’t she just rest for a moment? She knew the answer, of course. She had to keep fighting until Hiccup came back. Just… stay awake…until… Hiccup…was back.

“Astrid?”

The sound woke her out of her half sleep. She glanced around her room, her swollen eyes refusing to open all the way. She could make out a figure in the doorway, and although she was sure it wasn’t Hiccup, she couldn’t decipher who it was. She could only hope that it was a friend and not a foe. She was so vulnerable, and Stormfly could only protect her through so much.  
The figure came toward her. She shrank back fearfully, knowing there was absolutely nothing she could do to protect herself.

“Astrid, it’s me. Snotlout.”

Relief flooded her. Even though Snotlout was next to the last person she had hoped would come, he was certainly better than Viggo or Ryker or Dagur.

“Listen, we can’t bring the antidote to you. You have to come to it. Do you think you could ride Stormfly?”

Astrid’s head was spinning. Could she fly her dragon? No, she could hardly move. She shook her head, a difficult feat to accomplish.

Snotlout sighed. “Okay, rephrase. Do you think you could lay on Stormfly’s back and not fall off while she follows me and Hookfang?”

She mustered up enough strength to shrug. That sounded more doable than riding Stormfly, but she still wasn’t sure.

“Okay, I’ll take that as a yes.” Snotlout slipped her boots back on and easily picked her up off the bed, not nearly as gently as Hiccup would’ve done so, Astrid thought to herself. He hoisted her up on her dragon’s back, attempting to sit her up, but she slumped forward onto Stormfly’s neck.

Snotlout quickly jumped onto Hookfang, ordering Stormfly to follow him. Astrid was suddenly thankful for the day they had switched dragons. Stormfly was actually willing to obey Snotlout, especially if had something to do with the life of her rider.

The wind seemed colder than usual. It chilled her to the bone, bringing on another spasm of shivers. She couldn’t tell whether her puffy eyes were teary from the wind or fever, not that it mattered. A longing to give in to exhaustion battered her from every direction.

It took every ounce of strength she had left to keep her on her dragon’s back. She wanted this fight to be over. She wanted to sleep. She wanted to give up. Her father’s words rang loudly in her ears: Hoffersons don’t give up. But she wanted to give up. She no longer cared if she gave up.

But Hiccup cared. He didn’t want her to give up. He had told her to not give up. He had told his _Kaerasta_ to keep fighting, and she would. She couldn’t give up now. She was so close. Everything was almost over. Snotlout had said they couldn’t bring the cure to her. That at least meant they had a cure. She couldn’t give up, not now.

The flight seemed to take hours. Several times she slipped off and Snotlout had to catch her, but he was determined to keep a safe distance from her. She wished Hiccup had come to get her. He would have held her, wrapped in a blanket to keep her warm, and certainly wouldn’t have made her ride by herself.

She could have spent the last few hours of her life in Hiccup’s arms; the most wonderful place in the world. She began to wonder if she would even make it to the Buffalord’s island. She was so, so cold, and it was becoming almost impossible to keep her eyes open.

She felt herself beginning to slip again, but before she could fall, Snotlout pushed her back into place. She tried to whisper her thanks, but he cut her off.

“The island is just up ahead. We’re almost there.”

Her heart leapt at his words. The interminable flight was almost at its end. She wanted nothing more than to be warm and on the ground again. She gathered up the strength to look up briefly. Relief pounded through her cold, weak body. The island was within view, and she could see the other riders waiting for her.

She soon felt Stormfly slow to land, and with a thud, all movement ceased. The sudden change in motion caused her to slip sideways, and she was too weak ever try to stop herself. Besides, the worst thing she might hit was the ground.

But instead of hitting the ground, she was stopped halfway by something solid and comforting. She felt an arm around her shoulders and one under her knees. Warmth began to flood her chilled body. She pried her heavy eyes open, and her vision slowly focused.

Hiccup gazed down at her, worry lines creasing his forehead and concern showing in his eyes. She wanted so badly to smile up at him, but lacked the strength to do even that. An unbidden groan escaped her lips as spikes of pain crawled up her back.

“Shh,” he comforted softly. “Just rest. We’re gonna beat this. I promise you, Astrid. You just have to keep fighting, and hold on.”

He wished she could have felt the tender squeeze he gave her arm. He carried her over to a cluster of rocks and set her down as gently as humanly possible. She shivered as her bare arms touched the cool stone, and Hiccup realized how cold she must be after the long flight. He glanced around for something to keep her warm, but there seemed to be nothing of use.

His stomach flipped uneasily at how green and pale she was; how chapped and red her nose had become. Her eyes were swollen and puffy, and the sapphire blue lacked its natural sparkle. He was losing her. The horrifying truth squeezed his throat so tight he could hardly breathe. He placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping she would at least feel the weight of it.

“You need to stay with us,” he added suddenly, his voice hushed to keep it from cracking. “I can’t imagine a world without you in it.” It was true. He couldn’t. But it seemed as though he might have to. She didn’t respond at all.

“Alright, we need to work quickly.” Hiccup stood, realizing that the “we” was really just him. He grabbed the cup and approached the Buffalord. He caught a long string of the sticky saliva just before it dripped, and glanced in the cup to make sure he’d gotten it.

He briskly walked back to Astrid and knelt beside her. “Here,” he held the cup to her lips, encouraging her to drink. “Here you go.”

A few drops slipped down her throat. Astrid groaned a little, and shifted around. Nothing seemed to change.

“Uh, nothing’s happening,” Hiccup said rather loudly, fear clutching his already nervous stomach.

“Maybe it takes some time for the antidote to work,” Fishlegs offered from behind him.  
Astrid coughed again, a vicious shiver taking control of her.

“No, something’s wrong.” Hiccup replied firmly.

 _Nothing’s wrong!_ Astrid wanted to tell him. _It helped! Really! I can feel again! I’m just so cold…_ The stone behind her felt like a block of ice. But she could feel the stone! She could feel it! She could feel Hiccup’s hand resting on her knee; she could feel the chilling breeze on her shoulders; she could feel.

And she felt worse.

She was so cold. She was so weak she could no longer shiver. Aches ran up and down her legs, the scratch on her arm throbbed, and her head began to pound. She was finding it hard to follow the conversation—something about what the Buffalord ate.

“. . .to eat the herbs to create the green solution.” Hiccup’s voice gradually became clearer. She felt his fingers wrap around hers, the warmth from them soothing the numbness.

“Hang in there, Astrid,” Astrid tried harder to focus on his words. “Just a little longer. Please. For me.”

 _For me. Just don’t give up…you just have to keep fighting…stay with us…you will win this fight…please…for me._ She repeated the words over and over in her mind, as if trying to suck from them a strength that would keep her alive for as long as it took to be cured.

She tried to listen to her surroundings, hoping to understand what was happening. A faint commotion could be heard, but she heard Hiccup’s voice loud and clear. He only said one word, but it sunk her spirits lower than any other word on earth could.

“Viggo!”


	4. Chapter 4

No. Not Viggo. Not now. They didn’t have time for Viggo now. Astrid couldn’t keep going for much longer. She needed that cure now.

She could hear dragons firing, men shouting, and crossbows shooting their deadly dragon root arrows. Strange, it sounded so…distant. It was almost as if she were under water.

She heard the noise lessen, then more talking. She tried to hear more clearly, but she could only make out a few words.

“Think twice about…actions, Hiccup.”

“…profits?”

“…business is business…I’m willing to incur…are you?”

“Okay, Viggo,” She strained her ears and forced herself to hear Hiccup’s response. “Okay, you win. Take him, take the dragon…leave us with what we came for…not leaving here without it…That’s a loss I’m not willing to take.”

Astrid pieced the words together as quickly as she could. Horror set in as she realized what was happening. Hiccup was giving the Buffalord, the very last Buffalord, to Viggo. He was giving up the Buffalord to save her.

She couldn’t let him do that. Viggo would kill it. “No, Hiccup. Don’t give him…not for me.” She forced the words out of her mouth, realizing they were so soft he probably couldn’t hear her.

She was too weak and tired to determine what happened next. She slowly gave in to oncoming unconsciousness, her body growing limp. Where was Hiccup? She didn’t want to die without a chance to say goodbye to him.

Her limbs felt heavy and numb. She was going senseless again, and this time she knew it was because she was dying. She didn’t want to die, but she no longer had a choice in the matter. She wondered what Hiccup would do when he came back and found her dead. He would blame it all on himself, because he always did that, and then someone, probably Fishlegs, would have to tell him it wasn’t. But he, being Hiccup, wouldn’t listen. She longed to smile at the thought. Every breathe was growing slower and slower.

 _I’ll just go to sleep,_ she thought numbly. It was that simple. She just had to go to sleep…and it would be…all over…she would never…wake up…she would…just…sleep…  
A wooden cup was pressed against her lips, infiltrating the bliss of her half-conscious state. She pulled away, too tired to try and sip the contents. It wouldn’t let her alone, though. Some of the liquid sloshed into her mouth, and her face puckered at the fowl taste.

“I know. I know.” Hiccup was saying somewhere far off. “Just drink.”

Drink. She allowed more of the repulsive fluid to slip down her throat. He toes and fingers began to tingle, and the sensation worked its way up her legs and arms. Feverish aches began to ease. Weakness slowly left her. Chills stopped pricking her body.

She was able to open her eyes just enough to see her friend beside her, his hand tightly clutching the cup. She could feel the ground underneath her. She could feel one of the plates on her skirt poking her thigh.

“Hiccup,” she whispered, “I think…I think…” she didn’t quite have the strength to finish the sentence.

“It’s working.” She smiled as Hiccup finished it for her.

Astrid pushed herself up off the ground, only to lose her balance. She pitched forward, Hiccup thankfully catching her and helping her upright. She rebalanced herself on Fishlegs’ arm, and shakily made her way toward her dragon. Stormfly eagerly leaned into her, asking for affection.

“I’m afraid our time must end, Hiccup.” Viggo’s voice destroyed the moment. “We will continue our contest in due time.” The fiend turned to depart, leaving them with nothing but an evil sneer.

“He won’t get far!” Tuffnut growled angrily. “Let’s go after him.”

Snotlout agreed. “Yeah, I’m sick of that smug—”

“No.” Hiccup stopped them, determination in his voice. “Stand down. We agreed to let him leave the island with that dragon. And that’s exactly what we’re gonna do.”

Astrid glanced at him, surprised, but the look on his face told her that he had a plan.   
For a few minutes, nothing happened. Then shouts filled the air, and Astrid watched in awe as the docile Buffalord broke out of the ship, sending boards flying. The beast roared and flew away, dragging the ship with it. The chain was dethatched, and the Buffalord flew back to its island, happy as a boar in a mud pit.

Hiccup smiled triumphantly. “Well, that leaves just one thing to do.” He threw a purposeful glance back at Astrid.

The Dragon Riders mounted and took off, Hiccup and Toothless in the lead.

. . .

“There do I see my father, my mother, my brothers and my sisters. They bid me take my place in the halls of Valhalla… where the brave shall live forever.”

Astrid bowed her head as she finished the traditional funeral words, and pulled her bowstring back. She and her friends took aim and released their arrows, and watched as the flames grew smaller. One by one the arrows hit the ship, the Monstrous Nightmare gel quickly spreading the flames.

The twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs turned and left, but Hiccup stayed for a moment. How could Viggo be so cruel? He was no longer just an evil mastermind, he was a murderer. He wasn’t afraid to kill if it forwarded his plans. Everyone and everything was completely expendable to him, as long as it got him something in return.

He was exactly what Fishlegs had said: a monster. He was a brilliant monster, but all the same, still a monster. He was worse than Alvin and Dagur and Ryker all put together, except for he and Ryker were together.

There had to be something more to this. Why would he bother infecting a group of able sailors with the Scourge of Odin? What could he possibly get out of this? He clearly wanted the Buffalord, but for what? The dragon was practically useless, except for curing the Scourge, and Viggo couldn’t really give people the Scourge could he?  
“ _It’s simple really. Supply and demand. I knew where to get the supply, if I could only generate the demand.”_

Hiccup turned and twisted the words around in his mind, trying to squeeze a meaning out of them. Supply and demand, supply and demand. Viggo had said he knew where to get the supply; he just needed to generate the demand. Maybe he could infect someone with the Scourge. It wouldn’t be too surprising; he had done just about everything else. Still, how did he know where to get the supply?

“What are you thinking about?”

Hiccup glanced up, and realized Astrid had still not left. “This might be just the beginning,” he began rather gruffly.

“Of what?” Astrid prodded.

“Something Viggo said about knowing where the ‘supply’ was. You don’t think he could’ve unlocked the Dragon Eye, do you?”

“How? He doesn’t have a Snow Wraith key.”

“But he found the Buffalord on his own. And we need to find out how.” His sentence hung for a while, both pondering the events of the past few days.

“Hiccup, I just wanted to say thanks.” Astrid turned and smiled at him. “I really owe you.”

He smiled in return. “It’s no big deal,” he replied glancing down bashfully. “You’d have the same for me.”

Her smile grew. “I can’t imagine a world without you in it, either.” She turned and flew away in the direction of home.

So she’d heard that. In a way, he was glad, but he was also quite embarrassed. It was pretty pathetic romance, though it certainly could have been worse. How many other things had he said and done that she overheard or noticed?

He followed her on Toothless, attempting to catch up. He did not want to fly home alone. He knew it was dangerous to be out alone at night, especially when you were sleep deprived. It struck him that he hadn’t slept in about two days, though it wasn’t until now that the adrenaline had worn off and he actually felt the need for sleep.   
Hopefully he could get Astrid talking. That would help ward off the exhaustion. He flew under her, then came up on her right.

“Boo,” he teased, startling her just a little.

“What?” she asked, glaring at him playfully.

“Nothing,” he answered with a shrug. “Just wanted to see if I could scare you.”

“Well, you didn’t.”

“I saw you jump.”

Astrid scowled in defeat. “Fine. You scared me a little.”

Hiccup smiled at his little victory. Another wave of sleepiness hit him, and he shook his head trying to wake up. “You tired at all?” he asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

“Not really,” Astrid shrugged. “I’m still a little achy. And my mouth tastes like puke. Buffalord spit is nasty.”

Hiccup laughed. “Just be thankful you’re not dead.”

Astrid rolled her eyes, but laughed along with him. “Just be thankful you didn’t have to drink the stuff so you wouldn’t be dead.”

“I am. Believe me, I am. But in all honesty, I would rather it have been me than you.”  
Astrid’s expression grew serious. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I guess I just don’t want you, or any of the other riders for that matter, in those types of situations.”

Astrid didn’t reply at first. He tried to figure out what she was thinking, but she remained rather expressionless. “Hiccup?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you mean it?”

He glanced up at her, confused. “Mean what?”

“What you said.”

“What I said when?”

“What you said the other night.”

“What did I say the other night?” He gathered quickly that she didn’t like the fact that he wasn’t following her, but he truly had no idea what she was talking about.

She swallowed thickly and glanced away. “Did you mean ‘ _Kaerasta_ ’ when you said it?”  
So she’d heard that too. Well, he knew she’d heard it, but he’d hoped she wouldn’t remember it. Hiccup studied her face for a minute, trying to decipher whether or not she wanted him to mean it. Her big blue eyes seemed almost sad, yet they portrayed the ever tough Astrid Hofferson that everyone knew so well.

For one of the first times in his life, he had absolutely no idea how to respond. The problem was not only that he didn’t know what to say to Astrid, but he did not know what to say to himself. Had he meant it? He remembered he wanted her to stop crying, and thought that it might pacify her.

But did he mean it?

“Hiccup?” Astrid’s tone indicated a sense of worry, as if she was afraid he hadn’t heard her.

“I meant it only if you want me to have meant it.”

“What?”

“If you want me to have meant what I said, then I do. But if not, you can forget I ever said it.” He was proud of his answer. It seemed the best possible way to avoid a sock to the shoulder.

“What happens if I want you to mean it?”

Now that caught him off guard. She wanted him to mean it? “I guess that means I meant what I said.”

“Really? You’re serious?”

“Of course. When am I not serious?”

Astrid shrugged again. “I don’t know, you just happen to be the most sarcastic person I know, so that puts a tiny damper on your seriousness.”

Hiccup blushed, quite visibly. He could just hear Snotlout shouting “burn!” He could only thank Thor his cousin wasn’t present. “Fine, you got me. I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it.”

He flew closer to her. “I meant every word.”

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and for the first time that day, he saw her eyes sparkle.

“I’m glad you mean it,” she replied, her voice a little quieter than usual.

He smiled back at her, allowing the distance between them to grow. His smile faded as she started to shiver. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Just cold. I’ve been cold all day.”

Guilt nagged at him. She’d been cold all day. He had taken it for granted that he was comfortable, but he’d always liked cold weather, and even he was a little chilled right now.

He didn’t have a blanket with him, or even an extra shirt to offer her, which reminded him, he needed to restock his emergency clothes… It dawned on him how cold she must have been flying to meet them on the Buffalord’s island. Feverish, with nothing to keep her warm, she had to have nearly frozen. He could see now that she was shivering, though trying to hide it.

Hiccup pulled up beside her, and slightly lower. He scooted back in his saddle, and patted the space in front of him. “Come on,” he encouraged. “You’ll be warmer if you ride with me.”

He offered her a hand for balance as she climbed from Stormfly to Toothless. She easily sat in front of him, her feet dangling over Toothless’ shoulders. She leaned back against him, allowing him to put his arms around her to hold the saddle.

She gave a long, happy sigh. “Thanks,” she smiled. “This is a lot better.”

“I’m sorry I don’t have a fur or blanket you could use.”

“This works.” She giggled.

“Yeah, but not as well as a fur. It would-”

He giggling cut him off again.

“What?” he asked.

“Look down. It’s our lucky day.”

Hiccup glanced down, and though Toothless’ wing blocked most of his view, he caught sight of one of their emergency barrels. It was perched on a sea stack, only visible from the air. Inside there was bound to be a blanket of some form. He too chuckled at their luck, and landed on the small patch of ground.

Stormfly landed behind them, squawking. Hiccup quickly dismounted, opened the barrel, and pulled out the blanket. He made another mental note to restock it, and walked over to Stormfly, expecting Astrid to follow. He glanced back over his shoulder, finding her still seated on Toothless.

“Aren’t you going to ride Stormfly now?” he asked, confused.

She shrugged slightly, an impish grin on her face. “I like it here,” she told him simply. Her eyes glittered with mischief as he shrugged back and brought the blanket over to her.

She took it from him, a devilish smirk momentarily passing across her face. She swiftly delivered a solid punch to his shoulder as he tried to mount behind her.

“What was that for?!” he demanded, gingerly rubbing the spot where her fist had made contact.

“That was for leaving me all by myself and then sending Snotlout, of all people, to get me,” she replied smartly, crossing her arms and looking away with an indignant pose.  
  
“First of all, I didn’t want to leave you all by yourself, and when you really think about it, I didn’t, because Stormfly was there. Second, I didn’t send Snotlout to get you. He just jumped in and left. If I had a say in the-”

Astrid suddenly grabbed the collar of his tunic and pulled him toward her, grabbing his lips with hers. He, as always, stood stiffly until she let him go.  
“What was that for?” he whispered, staring at her as if he’d never laid eyes on her before.

“That was for everything else,” she whispered back, motioning for him to climb up behind her.

He did so, and quickly urged Toothless into the air. Astrid wrapped the blanket around her front, covering everything up to her shoulders. Hiccup kept his hands underneath the blanket as well, as the temperature was continually dropping.

The stars flickered above them, and the full moon cast shimmering rays down on the ocean. The night air was so silent, except for the sound of Toothless’ wings and the ocean waves below them.

“It’s beautiful out tonight,” Astrid commented, leaning back against Hiccup, resting her head on his shoulder. “The stars are so bright.”

“Mmm,” Hiccup agreed thoughtfully, “They aren’t the only beautiful thing out tonight.”  
“Yeah, the moon is pretty spectacular too. I don’t remember the last time it was so big.”  
“I was referring to you.”

Astrid giggled and blushed, her eyes dancing at his comment. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Hiccup smiled and pinched her leg, rather hard.

“Ow!” She hollered, turning in her seat to face him. “What was that for?”

“That was for scaring me,” he replied, leaning closer with a smirk.

“That’s my line.”

“Not anymore.”

She scowled at him, her eyebrows growing close. He could see the annoyance in her eyes. Healthy color had crept into her cheeks, and her lips were full and pink again. He had been so close to losing her today, and yet here she was. His smirk faded as he realized he could be flying home without her now; he could have burned her funeral ship.

He realized then that there was a chance he wouldn’t have her tomorrow. He could wake up, and she might be gone forever. He realized then that he didn’t have the rest of his life with her, he might only have today.

And overwhelming desire to kiss her rushed through him, and since he might not have the chance tomorrow, he did.

Astrid stiffened for just a second, shocked by his sudden move. She never expected her first real kiss to be on the back of a dragon, but that hardly mattered. This was the first time Hiccup had ever kissed her, and she wanted this moment to last forever.   
She wanted to remember every piece of the wonderful moment. The way his arms pulled her close to him, the way he stole her breath away, the way blissful warmth spread all the way to her toes. She knew she would laugh in the future at the awkward way she was twisted around, but for now it was the best moment of her life. It was a gentle, fervent kiss, but not forceful. She could only glean from the action that he really meant “Kaerasta” when he said it.

Hiccup finally drew back, allowing her to take a breath. She loved the way his deep green eyes searched her, almost begging for her to say something. She could read nearly every sentence his eyes portrayed, but this one was just too complex to understand.

She knew she should say something, but she just wasn’t sure what, so she said the only thing that she could think off. “What was that for?” It was so soft; even she had difficulty hearing it.

Hiccup brought a hand up, cupping her cheek and tracing her face with his thumb. She loved the way she could feel the calluses on his fingers, and the gentle way he caressed her face. For a split second, she could have sworn that she saw tears in his eyes.

“That was because I might not have the chance again,” he whispered, his voice cracking softly. “I almost lost you today. I won’t risk losing you again without kissing you first.”

Astrid turned and snuggled back into him, leaning her head up against his temple. He pressed a gentle kiss on the top of her head as he urged Toothless on a little faster, realizing how late it had gotten.

“Thanks for everything,” Astrid whispered with a sigh “I wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for you.”

“Yes, you would,” Hiccup answered, a slightly playful tone in his voice. “You would’ve just stood up and gotten the antidote for yourself. After all, you were completely fine, weren’t you?”

Both laughed, and Astrid blushed again at his teasing. He knew how much she would have liked them to believe that, and only he was allowed to tease her about it. “I really love you sometimes, you know that?” she told him with a laugh.

He placed his mouth right beside her ear, so that she was the only creature on earth who could hear what was spoken. In a gentle whisper of sincerity, he murmured: “I love you all the time, my Kaerasta.”  


**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who loved "Night of the Dragon Riders" and "Partly Steel" here is your next Hiccstrid installment! Enjoy, comment, and feel free to leave Kudos!


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